Subject: [BOARD-L] Motion Made and Seconded Resent-Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 10:27:36 -0800 (PST) Resent-From: BOARD-L@rootsweb.com Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 13:40:10 -0500 From: "Beth Wills" <bwills@ionia-mi.net> A motion has been made by Yvonne and seconded by Kay and Ginger that a Standards and Ethics Statement be drafted and put into the USGenWeb Project policy for protection of said project. This statement will now be posted to the required mailing lists as well as the national web page for 48 hours as required by Article VIII, Section 3 of the USGenWeb Project Bylaws before I call for a vote. I will call for a vote on this motion AFTER 1:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, Jan 24, 1999 ****************** A copy of the proposed statement follows: A set of standards and code of ethics for a project provide a framework for personal relationships. No where are these more important than a totally volunteer project. The absence of a written statement specifying standards of conduct and project ethics leaves each individual to interpret their actions as reasonable and/or ethical. While this certainly allows for the greatest range of individualism, it also lends itself to behaviors or actions that the majority may consider inappropriate or unethical. The standards and code of ethics is broad based, and establishes a clear definition of what behavior is acceptable for the well-being of the project, while allowing for the varied talents and abilities of individuals. The standards and code of ethics provides a means by which actions and behaviors can be determined to be either acceptable or unacceptable. They also establish accountability for those actions or behaviors that are found to be unacceptable. The county, state and special project coordinators will be held to the following standards: 1. The best interests of the project will be at the forefront of any actions by a coordinator that involve the project. No county, state or special project coordinator will post derogatory comments about the project. Problems that arise within the project will be kept at the project level, not posted for our visitors to see. In case of a dispute with another volunteer, assume that there is a misunderstanding, not that the other person is deliberately misstating the truth. 2. Strive to provide the highest quality of information on your web sites. If in doubt as to the quality of data received, reiterate the fact that this data, like each new piece of information, must be researched and proved or disproved by standard genealogy rules of evidence. It is always best to consult original primary material for verification. 3. Honor property rights, especially copyrights. Become familiar with the current copyright laws before posting data to your page. Individuals must read and understand the project policy on copyright, query management and lookups. Do not copy information from other web sites. If you feel that information on another website would be helpful to the researchers visiting your page, request permission to provide a link to the other website. 4. Give proper credit where credit is due. As in any genealogy research, be sure to document your sources for posted data. 5. Avoid harm to others visiting the project and others working within the project. Respect each other's opinions. Politely disputing the accuracy of data is not only accepted but encouraged. Keep your dispute to issues and/or facts, and not personalities. Standard "netiquette" applies to all communication within the project. The project will not tolerate foul language, personal insults or threats. 6. Respect the privacy of others. If someone in the project requests that their communication not be made public, this request must be respected. Any member of the project who fails to comply with the standards and ethics policies, as set forth in the Guidelines of the USGenWeb Project is subject to the following: The matter will be brought before the Standards and Ethics Committee for review. This may be done by any Project member who has witnessed said violation. A two-thirds vote of the Committee will be required for notification of non-compliance to be sent. Failure to rectify said non- compliance within two weeks will result in the member's project web sites being de-linked from the Project Three such letters of non-compliance will constitute automatic termination in the USGenWeb Project. ==== USGenWeb-SE Mailing List ==== The Official By-Laws Page http://www.usgenweb.org/official/bylaws.html